Spurs at a tipping point no NBA team wants to be in with Jeremy Sochan

The NBA trade deadline came and went without San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan being dealt. That came as a surprise to many fans who expected him to be moved. However, perhaps more interestingly, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Sochan won't seek a buyout (subscription required) .

That means that he could very well finish the season in San Antonio. Even so, it's highly unlikely that he will be back next season. After all, the Spurs already sent a message last summer when they declined to extend him.

He was playing for a new contract entering this season, but he got off to a slow start and quickly fell out of the rotation. Now, he is likely to head into the summer with the opportunity to choose his next team.

Jeremy Sochan's days with the Spurs may be numbered

The Silver and Black have the option to extend a qualifying offer to Sochan, making him a restricted free agent. However, my money is on the Spurs letting him become a free agent, which would free him up to sign with any team.

That raises questions about why San Antonio didn't trade him when they had a chance. Most likely, the offers they received were lackluster at best and outright bad at worst.

The New York Knicks were reportedly interested in trading for him but wanted the Spurs to take back Gershon Yabusele. But with him making nearly $6 million next season, that was a no-go.

Rather than make a bad deal, San Antonio opted to make no deal at all. That might not be the most exciting option, or even fair to Sochan, but it was the right call if the offers were awful.

Jeremy Sochan may still be chained to the bench

Now that the deadline has passed and he is still on the team, his role remains unclear. He isn't even earning spot minutes anymore and barely played in garbage time during their most recent game against the Dallas Mavericks.

That would seemingly close the door on him rejoining the rotation. Especially with the rapidly improving play of Carter Bryant.

Who knows, maybe the Spurs will do Sochan a solid and play him more so he can audition for his next team. Then again, they didn't do that ahead of the trade deadline.

Either way, I wouldn't expect him to factor in much down the stretch. That's too bad for both him and Spurs fans, with him being a fan favorite.